Review: Shut up & Sing!
I was never a fan of the Dixie Chicks - until their big controversy in 2003. At a concert in London, just before the US invasion of Iraq, lead singer Natalie Maines made an off-the-cuff remark about George Bush that created a huge controversy. (She said they were embarrassed that Bush was also from Texas). Country music was in an uproar - radio stations boycotted their music, fans burned their cds, and they found themselves losing revenue. This documentary examines their rise and fall - and rise again. By the time of the release of their new cd in 2006, Bush had fallen in popularity, people were finally seeing the folly of the invasion and questioning Bush. People were FINALLY realizing you can oppose the war and yet still support out troops.
I absolutely loved their latest album "Taking the Long Way." Most of the songs are a response to the 2003 controversy, with a tougher edge than their previous work. The documentary follows the recording of the album, the strategy behind the marketing for it. The controversy made them take a step back and re-think their music. Were they still country artists even though country fans and radio had whole-heartedly rejected them? Were they pop artists?
The film really allows you to get to know the trio. We see them with their husbands and children (bonus: Natalie is married to "Heroes" hunk Adrian Pasdar!). We see how this all affected them. They received death threats - this made me this most mad. We all have a freedom to speak out - how can these so-called conservative "Christians" threaten to kill someone just because of a remark they made?? Most touching is how the three stuck together. It would have been easy for the other two Chicks to distance themselves from Maines, to claim they didn't share her views. They clearly do share her view - although I think they would have been happy to not make that public.
I really wanted to see this doc when it first came out - how shocking that it never played in this conservative outpost I choose to live in. [Aside: I very proudly bought this at my local WalMart - proudly, because I think it was the WalMart crown who clearly led the anti-DC movement.] This is a gripping story - one every lover of our American freedoms needs to see.
And as a bonus - the music in it is awesome!
I absolutely loved their latest album "Taking the Long Way." Most of the songs are a response to the 2003 controversy, with a tougher edge than their previous work. The documentary follows the recording of the album, the strategy behind the marketing for it. The controversy made them take a step back and re-think their music. Were they still country artists even though country fans and radio had whole-heartedly rejected them? Were they pop artists?
The film really allows you to get to know the trio. We see them with their husbands and children (bonus: Natalie is married to "Heroes" hunk Adrian Pasdar!). We see how this all affected them. They received death threats - this made me this most mad. We all have a freedom to speak out - how can these so-called conservative "Christians" threaten to kill someone just because of a remark they made?? Most touching is how the three stuck together. It would have been easy for the other two Chicks to distance themselves from Maines, to claim they didn't share her views. They clearly do share her view - although I think they would have been happy to not make that public.
I really wanted to see this doc when it first came out - how shocking that it never played in this conservative outpost I choose to live in. [Aside: I very proudly bought this at my local WalMart - proudly, because I think it was the WalMart crown who clearly led the anti-DC movement.] This is a gripping story - one every lover of our American freedoms needs to see.
And as a bonus - the music in it is awesome!
posted by Beth at 7:12 PM
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